“Our Blues” Episode 1 And 2 Review- A Beautiful Slow-Paced Premiere

Published Categorized as Kdrama Reviews
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Our Blues” is FINALLY here. Its been so long since the casting news was announced and I am so happy its here at last, here are my thoughts on it.

“Our Blues” has been teased for months and I must tell you this, I have not seen such a star-studded cast in one drama in such a long long time, it was effin amazing seeing all those A-list and veteran actors in one drama and sometimes in the same frame, I screamed many times.

Note: this article is a first-impression review, it doesn’t mean this is the writer’s final thoughts on the drama. This is a spoiler review.

If you’ve been watching kdramas for as long as I have and know almost all of the actors involved in this project, then you probably were just as happy to see their faces as I was.

For starters, can I just say this? Whoever thought it was a good idea to begin the drama with Kim Woo Bin’s face needs a raise, that was a beautiful touch and I nearly teared up. He’s been through so much and he’s finally here on TV for the first time in 6 years and I couldn’t have been happier to see him.

Now, I’ll talk about the editing and general writing for this premiere before discussing each couple for the drama.

The editing

“Our Blues” editing is very confusing and was my least favorite aspect of this premiere. In many scenes, I struggled to realize whether this was the past or the present.

The general editing and direction of the premiere was very messy. It is understandable to a certain degree because you’re working with an ensemble cast but it still could have been better. Its like they threw every single character in your face to hook you in without easing some of them to the story, this is especially the case for Lee Byung Hun and Shin Min Ah’s characters.

This is also the case with Cha Seung Won and Lee Jung Eun’s past love story. I sincerely thought the high school kids were like some other kids, I didn’t realize it was the younger versions of them. There is no different color pallet or any sort of indication when the story switches to the past, this makes for a very confusing watching experience.

I think I partially get it, I think the screenwriter wants to intentionally blur the lines between the past and present and how characters connect but it doesn’t mean it was the right editing style regardless.

The writing

Veteran screenwriter No Hee-Kyung is the woman responsible for this adorable drama and is the reason these talented actors signed on the project. I really like some of her dramas, the stories she tells and the attention she pays to details are amazing, the characters she writes are always so fun and relatable.

The premiere was a little awkward in terms of editing and continuity but as I said, I think its because she’s working with an ensemble cast and must try her best to give spotlight to each character equally.

I am sure the continuity part will get better with time.

For the record, “Our Blues” is a slow-paced type of drama, it will be a healing drama. So don’t expect anything fast-paced or for the plot to move unexpectedly fast. I see some people are surprised by this a bit but this is her style.

However, “Our Blues” will be 20 episodes long which is…. Oh god…. Wayy too long. Even with how many characters she’s gotten, I highly doubt they need 20 episodes to tell their story not unless every single episode or week will now focus on one primary couple.

This also could come and bite her in the back because there are people watching for a specific actor or a specific couple and are not particularly interested in the full story or other couples, this could become an issue and prevent ratings from rising to the fullest but again, these are my speculations, we remain to see just how much this ends up affecting the drama’s performance. I could be wrong.

Kim Woo Bin and Han Ji Min

I already really like the pairing of Kim Woo Bin and Han Ji Min. They look so cute together. So far, Kim Woo Bin’s character is personally my favorite in the drama, that can change in the future but I think by design, he’s written to be the most likeable one thus far.

I am so curious about Han Ji Min’s character and why she’s like that. We don’t really see many kdrama female leading characters behave this way so this definitely piqued my interest.

We didn’t see much of them in this premiere but I know in the next episodes, there will be more focus on them.

Woo Bin had said that in some episodes, he barely appears for a scene or two. With such a massive ensemble cast, I think the focus will shift from one couple to the other as the drama progresses.

Lee Byung Hun and Shin Min Ah

Despite being the first female lead of this huge ensemble cast, Shin Min Ah barely appears in the premiere week. Not that its odd, its definitely interesting in my opinion, but I don’t know how her dedicated fans will feel about this.

Lee Byung Hun is taking on a unique character here, I really like his choice here and I am always impressed by his acting chops and how he changes his aura and facial expressions to suit whatever character he’s challenged with. If you don’t know who he is while watching this drama, you wouldn’t assume he’s one of the biggest A-list Korean actors ever.

I am interested in their relationship as well.

However, I must say, the editing is a bit all over the place. The introduction scene to this couple was set up oddly that I had to rewind to the 1st episode just to make sure I didn’t miss something by accident.

It feels so disconnected and I couldn’t tell whether their scene happened recently or whether it was a distant memory. I still don’t know honestly.

Cha Seung Won and Lee Jung Eun

Now onto my least favorite couple, they put a slight damper on this overall healing drama but I know its for a reason. Screenwriter No Hee-Kyung probably has something up her sleeves.

Regardless, it was a very odd choice to introduce and focus on this couple in the premiere episodes especially when you have hallyu actors. Cha Seung Won and Lee Jung Eun are amazing, and this isn’t about them but the characters’ relationship isn’t easy to swallow and borders on cheating and infidelity wrapped up in a nice bow.

Their particular story has already gained some negative attention among k-netizens and I expect after this episode, it will be even more. Its way too early for me to know what she plans on doing with them but I am guessing Cha Seung Won’s character will suffer severe consequences for his actions and this will be his journey so I won’t dismiss it yet.

But I’ll say this, I wished they began with either of the other couples in order to hook people in, then add their characters so people would be able to tolerate whatever this will be a bit more.

Overall, I’d say I enjoyed the premiere of the drama a lot, and I loved so many of the scenes in it especially when the entire cast was present. It gave me a warm feeling and I am excited for what will come.

So these are my thoughts on Our Bluies, so what about you guys? did you like the episodes? let me know what you thought in the comment section below.

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By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

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